Build Content Sites for SEO

Build a content site optimized for search engine traffic. This guide covers strategy, structure, and implementation for sites designed to rank.

What You'll Build

• SEO-optimized site architecture
• Content hub with topic clusters
• Blog with proper structure
• Landing pages for key topics
• Technical SEO foundation

Why Pagesmith for SEO

Static HTML: Search engines see your content immediately. No waiting for JavaScript.

Fast loading: Page speed is a ranking factor. SSG sites are fast by default.

Clean structure: Semantic HTML, proper headings, and metadata.

Production defaults: Sitemap, robots.txt, canonical URLs out of the box.

Step 1: Plan Your Content Strategy

Before building, plan your content:

Choose Your Topics

Core topic: [Your main subject]
Subtopics:
- [Subtopic 1]
- [Subtopic 2]
- [Subtopic 3]
- [Subtopic 4]

Example:
Core topic: Remote work productivity
Subtopics:
- Time management for remote workers
- Home office setup
- Remote team communication
- Work-life balance while remote

Map Keywords to Pages

Pillar page (main topic):
- Keyword: "remote work productivity"
- URL: /remote-work-productivity
- Type: Comprehensive guide (3,000+ words)

Cluster pages (subtopics):
- "time blocking for remote work" → /time-blocking-remote-work
- "best home office setup" → /home-office-setup
- "remote team communication tools" → /remote-communication-tools
- "work life balance remote" → /work-life-balance-remote

Step 2: Generate Your Site Structure

Create a content website about [core topic].

Homepage:
- Hero with main value proposition
- Featured articles (3 latest)
- Topic categories with descriptions
- Newsletter signup
- Popular posts sidebar

Pages:
- /[pillar-topic] - Comprehensive pillar page
- /blog - All articles listing
- /category/[subtopic] - Category pages
- /about - About the site/author
- /newsletter - Email signup page

Design: Clean, content-focused, fast-loading.
Minimal navigation. Focus on readability.

Step 3: Create Pillar Content

Pillar pages are comprehensive resources on your core topic.

Create a pillar page for [topic]:

URL: /[topic-slug]
Title: "Complete Guide to [Topic]"

Structure:
1. Introduction (what and why)
2. [Section 1 - key concept]
3. [Section 2 - key concept]
4. [Section 3 - key concept]
5. [Section 4 - key concept]
6. Common mistakes
7. Tools and resources
8. FAQ
9. Conclusion with CTA

Include:
- Table of contents (sticky sidebar)
- Internal links to cluster articles
- Expert quotes or data
- Actionable tips and examples
- Word count: 3,000-5,000 words

SEO:
- Title: "Complete Guide to [Topic] in 2024 | [Site]"
- Description: [compelling 150-char summary]
- H1 matches search intent
- H2s are searchable subheadings

Step 4: Build Cluster Content

Each cluster article supports your pillar page.

Create a cluster article:

URL: /[specific-topic]
Title: "[Specific Topic]: [Benefit/How-to]"

Structure:
1. Introduction (hook + what you'll learn)
2. [Main content sections]
3. Step-by-step if applicable
4. Examples
5. Conclusion with link to pillar

Include:
- Link back to pillar page
- Links to related cluster articles
- Specific, actionable content
- Word count: 1,500-2,500 words

SEO:
- Target one primary keyword
- Use variations naturally
- Answer "People also ask" questions

Step 5: Optimize Technical SEO

URL Structure

Set up SEO-friendly URLs:

Pillar: /remote-work-productivity
Clusters: /time-blocking-remote-work
Categories: /category/productivity
Blog: /blog/[post-slug]

Avoid:
- Numbers in URLs
- Dates in URLs (unless news)
- Stop words (/how-to-do-the-thing)

Meta Tags

Every page needs:

<title>[Primary Keyword] | [Brand]</title>
<meta name="description" content="[Compelling 150-char summary with keyword]">
<link rel="canonical" href="[full URL]">

Open Graph:
<meta property="og:title" content="[Title]">
<meta property="og:description" content="[Description]">
<meta property="og:image" content="[1200x630 image]">

Internal Linking

Link strategy:

Pillar → links to all clusters
Clusters → link back to pillar
Clusters → link to related clusters
All pages → link to pillar in footer/sidebar

Use descriptive anchor text:
❌ "click here"
✅ "time blocking techniques for remote workers"

Schema Markup

Add structured data:

Article schema:
- headline
- datePublished
- dateModified
- author
- publisher

FAQ schema (for FAQ sections):
- Question/Answer pairs
- Appears in rich snippets

Breadcrumb schema:
- Home > Category > Article

Step 6: Create Category Pages

Category pages help users and search engines navigate.

Create category page for /category/[topic]:

Hero:
- Category name and description
- Article count

Content:
- Featured article (large card)
- Article grid (all in category)
- Pagination
- Related categories sidebar

SEO:
- Title: "[Topic] Articles | [Site]"
- Description: Browse our [topic] articles...

Step 7: Build for Speed

Page speed affects rankings.

Optimize performance:

Images:
- Use WebP format
- Lazy load below-fold images
- Specify width/height (prevent layout shift)

Code:
- Minimal JavaScript (Astro islands only where needed)
- Inline critical CSS
- Defer non-critical scripts

Hosting:
- Edge deployment (automatic with Pagesmith)
- Cache headers set correctly

Target: Lighthouse score 95+

Step 8: Set Up Analytics

Track what's working:

Add analytics:

Google Search Console:
- Submit sitemap
- Monitor indexing
- Track search performance

Google Analytics or Plausible:
- Page views
- Time on page
- Bounce rate
- Traffic sources

Track:
- Which pages rank
- Which pages get traffic
- Which pages convert

Step 9: Content Calendar

Plan ongoing content:

Monthly content plan:

Week 1: New cluster article
Week 2: Update pillar page with new section
Week 3: New cluster article
Week 4: Optimize existing content based on Search Console

Quarterly:
- Review rankings and traffic
- Update outdated content
- Expand pillar pages
- Add new topic clusters

Step 10: Publish and Monitor

1. Publish all content
2. Submit sitemap to Search Console
3. Wait 2-4 weeks for indexing
4. Monitor rankings and impressions
5. Iterate based on data

Content Site Templates

Niche Blog

Focus: One topic, deep expertise
Structure: Pillar + clusters + guides
Monetization: Affiliate, ads, courses

Resource Site

Focus: Tools, templates, guides
Structure: Categories, resources, tutorials
Monetization: Premium resources, sponsorships

Comparison Site

Focus: Reviews and comparisons
Structure: Category pages, individual reviews, vs pages
Monetization: Affiliate links

SEO Checklist

On-Page:

• [ ] Keyword in title, H1, first paragraph
• [ ] Meta description with keyword
• [ ] H2s are scannable and keyword-relevant
• [ ] Internal links with descriptive anchors
• [ ] Images with alt text
• [ ] FAQ section with schema

Technical:

• [ ] Sitemap.xml submitted
• [ ] Robots.txt allows crawling
• [ ] Canonical URLs set
• [ ] Mobile-friendly design
• [ ] Fast loading (< 3s)
• [ ] HTTPS enabled

Content:

• [ ] Matches search intent
• [ ] Comprehensive coverage
• [ ] Original insights/value
• [ ] Updated regularly
• [ ] No thin content

Next Steps

• SEO Best Practices — Advanced SEO techniques
• Article Editor — Create content faster
• Prompt Engineering — Better content generation